Proposal Paper

Proposal Paper- Play is Important for Children

    In the field of education, there are very great things occurring, but then again, there are some not so great things. There are things that need to be reinforced, and things that need to be changed. I believe that play is an important part of growth in the early stages of education and learning. I believe that play is something that should always be allowed and required in the classroom. The overall theme of my paper will be how and why play is so important for the growth of children. There are a lot of teachers and researchers that are advocating for the importance of play. Play in the classroom varies throughout schools and teachers, but it should not vary because it is very beneficial. Simply put, play is important.

    As I stated before, I believe that the use of play in schools is crucial for a student's development. In the past several decades, schools are beginning to get more and more focused on getting the children to pass tests, rather than their overall growth and learning development. This even goes for students at the ages of five and six. In my opinion, five and six year olds should not be stuck sitting in a desk all day long. Yes they do need to learn basic things and complete their schoolwork, but on top of that, these youngsters need to be able to learn through play. They will develop social skills and other crucial things necessary for their age. Due to the need to pass tests, many schools are cutting down play time, or even eliminating it completely. Several elementary schools do not even have recess anymore. It is important to keep recess and other times of play in schools, while continuing on the path of successful learning. Often, school officials think that students will have time for play once the school day is over. But that is incorrect, students are often plagued with homework, and have other extracurricular activities to complete, instead of simply having time to play freely. This semester, I remember learning about the Summerhill School. A.S. Niell discussed how play was always a part of a student's schooling, and if they wanted to play, then they should. In my opinion, schools do not need to see play in the same way as the Summerhill School, but the importance of play should be known.

My mom is currently a preschool teacher and I was discussing this topic with her, and she said that she tries to incorporate daily activities where students are playing and learning. I became interested in this topic through those discussions with my mother. As I began researching how play is beneficial to students, I became even more interested with the topic, and I found that I agreed with what I was reading. Play is important for children to learn and it should not be eliminated from the school day.

    For this paper, my question will focus on play. I want to know and show why play is so important, and how we can increase the amount of play in teaching and the school day. I think that learning about the importance of play, will allow me to know what my students need more of when I become a teacher. From my research thus far, I do believe that play is important, and it is not something that should be eliminated from the school system.

BlogPost10- Summary

I think that by writing these blogs, I have come to a better understanding of the field of education. Also, with my observations, I have learned that teaching is what I am meant to do and my desire to be the best teacher possible has only grown. I was also very much in-between Early Childhood Education and Middle Education, but now I am sure that Early Childhood is where I would like to be. I really hate it when people tell me that people only become teachers because it is easy or they have nothing else to be because for a lot of people that is not the case. I have always known that I want to be a teacher and it is really not easy if you are trying to learn to be the best future educator that you can be. I do think that there are some people that are in the field of education that are just not meant to be teachers, and that might have a bad representation on their classroom or overall teaching. I think that I have discovered that I want to be a very impactful teacher, and maybe with experience under my belt, I can influence other teachers, and even figure out someway I can make the field of education a better place. I think that so far this course, I have learned what it means to be a good teacher and how to have a good and positive environment for my classroom. I have obtained all this knowledge about the best teachers and the best classrooms! But the best thing is, I got to see all of this in real life. I found Bryden Elementary to be the perfect example of a great classroom, and I was able to observe great teachers!

FieldBlog8: FINAL VISIT AT BRYDEN :'(

I can honestly say that I have loved all of the time that I had the opportunity to spend at Bryden. The experience that I had there was definitely a great beginning to see what it is like to become a teacher and to know that I am headed in the right direction. I did the usual things that I do when I visit. First I went to the science classroom, and the students were learning about the water cycle. Their teacher did an activity that represented the water cycle with a mug, hot water, and aluminum foil. I found this activity to be very interesting and when the kids were looking at it, you could see how this activity helped them to understand. After science, the students did their silent reading and ate a snack. After that they worked on their Bison work for about twenty minutes. Because it was my last day observing, Ms. Mock decided to let the students have some fun, and they played this math game called Bear Cave. It was basically just a game that helped them to remember their math facts, but they were all having fun and really getting into the game. And then finally it was time for me to leave, and honestly I was actually really sad that I would not be able to come back to Bryden. It really got to me when all the kids came up and gave me a hug. They were all so cute, and they showed me that I am on track for what I want to do with my life.

FieldBlog7: Gearity Professional Development School

I was going into Gearity with my expectations fairly high, but in all honesty I can say that I was pretty disappointed. I am really looking forward to the time when I will be an Early Childhood Education teacher, but I could not say that I would want to teach at Gearity. I feel like maybe if I spent more time there, or in a different classroom I would have liked it much better. Of course, I did find the children to be absolutely adorable, as I was in Kindergarten, but that was about it. During this observation, I was wondering how Gearity would be different than Bryden Elementary, where I am doing my field work. The classroom was kind of white and boring, except for some of the artwork that was displayed. At Bryden, all of the classrooms are big and decorated, which I find much more inviting. The students were doing their morning seatwork and good morning songs, which consisted of counting and the letters. This was cute!, but the teacher seemed to have a had time keeping the kids on task. At Bryden, I have noticed that the kids do seem to get out of hand ever once and a while, but it was not as much as it was happening at Gearity. I did notice that the Kindergarten teacher was very passionate and enthusiastic about her students and what she was teaching. I think it was interesting to be able to observe the difference between these two elementary schools, but in my opinion, I love Bryden much better.

This I Believe Annotated Bibliography

This I Believe Annotated Bibliography

Engel, Maria. "The Importance Of Free Play In The Early Childhood Classroom: Perspectives From A Teacher." Childhood Education 91.5 (2015): 323-324. Education Research Complete. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.

This journal by Maria Engel provides information about how free play is an important part of learning especially for early childhood students. Engel goes on to describe her personal experience as a Kindergarten and First grade teacher. She discusses how sitting at desks and learning basic things like reading, writing, and math are important, but there is also learning through play which is just as important. Students are able to solve problems, role play, create real life situations, and sharing. They learn how to be social and make friends. These are all important factors at such a young age, and the students are happy! This journal will be helpful to my essay because it will allow me to discuss how in the classroom teachers believe that free play is important. This source also provides many examples with different classroom structures. It also provides examples of free play, and all of the reasons that it is beneficial.

Bekoff, Marc, and William Crain. "A Crime Against Children." Encounter 24.4 (2011): 12-14. Education Research Complete. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.

This academic journal discusses how free play is a basic human right and that it is important to provide more time in schools for this play. The article goes on to discuss the difference between child-initiated play and adult-directed play. The difference is very real and it is something that not many education officials seem to notice. This source backs up its claims about how free play is important through historical and political facts like the Declaration of Independence and information from the United Nations. Not only does this source support free play for children, but it provides statistical and factual evidence as to why it is important. This source will be useful for providing information for my essay because it shows a supporting argument for why free play is so important. This source will also be especially helpful because of the statistics that it provides. It is not only stating that free play is important, but is a provider of the actual numbers to back the theory up.

Lillemyr, Ole, et al. "A Multicultural Perspective On Play And Learning In Primary School." International Journal Of Early Childhood 43.1 (2011): 43-65. Education Research Complete. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.

This source expresses how play is essential to child development. It discusses how play contributes to language development and conceptual meaning, sometimes these things can not just be understood while sitting at a desk. This source brings up the point that play can allow for a change in environment, making it a place students want to be. According to this source, play allows for the creation of relationships, which is crucial to the development of a person because building relationships will always be a part of life. This source will be essential to my essay because it allows for a more conceptual understanding of how play is important. It describes how play is important to a child’s development, which will be a main point in my essay. Overall, this source has a plethora of information that will allow me to state what I believe in a way that others will be able to see and hopefully agree with me.

"Experiences With An Outdoor Prop Box." YC: Young Children 65.1 (2010): 30-33. Education Research Complete. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.

This academic journal supports the claim that free play is an important factor of learning, and they go on to provide evidence as to why learning through play is so very important. Through play, students can learn things without anyone telling them to. This source discusses how a lot of schools are shortening play time, or even eliminating it altogether. This source also provides the example of an outdoor prop box. With these props, kindergarteners are playing with and drawing insects. They are discovering this on their own, and learning what they would be learning just the same in the classroom due to mandated science standards. But by playing, they were learning, working with other students, and having fun. This source will help me because it will allow me to have supportive evidence that free play is crucial. It also allows me to understand how free play is essentially used in classrooms.

FieldBlog6- Bryden Elementary: Visit 4

For this visit, I was able to have more private time with Miss Mock to discuss what I have been observing, and she answered any questions that I had. I really enjoyed this time because I feel like talking to teachers and learning from them, not only by observing them, is really important in the process of becoming a teacher. I asked her questions about her class, and how she discovers the best methods to teach them. I also asked her how she manages working with students that have more needs than others. In my opinion, Miss Mock is a truly incredible teacher. Also on my visit, Miss Mock allowed me to help her grade the students science tests. This may be nerdy, but I was totally excited about doing this! I also helped Miss Mock set up her new bulletin board for the month of November. Recently, the students have been learning about the subject and predicate of a sentence. During Bison time, I was able to help one student that was struggling with this topic. It was really cool to see him understand it, and then be able to complete the worksheet with out any help. I think for me, this visit was definitely a learning experience.

BlogPost 9- What do good schools look like?

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1rD1IHR5Fi8wqKzgBNO5KhMaOpzioNMnRuNW41mdWAuM/edit?usp=sharinghttps://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1rD1IHR5Fi8wqKzgBNO5KhMaOpzioNMnRuNW41mdWAuM/edit?usp=sharing

FieldBlog5: Bryden Elementary- Visit 3

Honestly, I have really been enjoying Bryden. I find the school to be very great and I think that I am learning a lot. Today's visit was very typical and nothing really interesting happened. Today in science, the second graders moved on from the topic of weather and weather instruments to the topic of arachnids and insects. The class began by the teacher having the students sit on the floor in front of the board. From there, she pulled up several different images of a variety of spiders. She explained the differences of each type of spider, and whether they were poisonous or not. The kids were all really interested by this, and some were even disgusted a bit. After this, the students worked in partners on a worksheet relating to the spiders. After science, the students had snack time and Bison time. During this time there were actually only three students that stayed in the class after snack. It was nice because I was able to talk to these students and learn more about them. We talked about Halloween and their costumes, and I even told them a little bit about myself. They were all just working on Halloween activities with their sight words. It was interesting for me to see how Ms. Mock incorporated the sight words in a fun and themed way. This visit was not as eventful as the others, but I feel as if I now have a stronger ability to notice the things in the classroom that we have discussed from class.

Week 8: My learning/teaching experience

For my lesson, I want to make Play-Doh with the students because it is a fun and hands on activity that relates to science. In a classroom, a teacher has the ability to build a bridge with students by teaching them something that relates to what they are interested in. First, you can make the idea of your teaching topic connect with what the students enjoy doing. To first engage my students, I would show them what we are going to make and how we  are going to make it through a video or discussion. I would then discuss the ingredients of Play-Doh and how each individual ingredient combined will create the Play-Doh. Then, I would get the students involved by making the Play-Doh themselves and allowing them to color their own and bring it home with them! But before they clean everything up, they would be able to play with their Play-Doh for a few minutes to see what they created and allowing them to be interested in what they are learning, therefore building a bridge. When teaching this topic, I will be focusing on what the students enjoy doing and how they will be learning and benefiting from this activity. By engaging the students and making them do hands on work, they are less likely to get bored, and are actually learning in a fun and cool way. I will need to realize that these kinds of hands on activities may not be as fun or benefitting for each class that I teach because each student is different, which relates to Ohanian's concept. I can also show the students that I am passionate and caring about how they learn and what they are interested in. When I become a teacher, I want to be able to create these bridges between what students should be learning and what they are interested in so that I can provide a healthy and strong learning environment for students.

FieldBlog 4: Bryden Elementary- Visit 2

I have only been to Bryden Elementary School two times, but I absolutely love it. The staff and teachers are so friendly and the students are absolutely adorable. I love being able to interact with the students and watching them learn. I think that Bryden is a great school, and the children are lucky to be able to attend a school like that. I am in a second grade classroom, and like I said before, the kids are absolutely adorable, but this week I was trying to observe how well the students were engaged and focused. Now, I have been wondering, is it a challenge to keep little kids focused while learning and what is the best way to keep these children engaged? I have not yet found my answer to this question, but hopefully in the following weeks I will begin to see this answer in my observations. This question came into my mind when I was observing the second graders in their science class, and a thought ran through my head from something that we discussed in class, which was are students really engaged in the activity or are they just participating? The second graders have a science test coming up so their teacher prepared a review game for the students to prepare for that test. While observing this, I noticed that a lot of the students were not really focusing on what the teacher was reviewing, nor were they really listening to her, rather they were impatiently waiting for their turn to go up to the board and choose a question for the class. In my opinion, it seemed that the students were having a hard time becoming engaged with this review game. One technique that I did notice that the teacher was using in attempt to keep the students focused was gecko time. And yes, there was literally a pet gecko in the classroom. After the review game, if the students had good behavior, which some did not, they were allowed to hold and pet the gecko. After science class, the students had snack time and Bison time. During Bison, some of the students go see the intervention specialist or do other work that they have not completed. This week during Bison, Ms. Mock was holding reading conferences with the students. She had a few students read a part of their book to her, and she was evaluating them. I did not know that that was something that teachers still did, but I do recall having reading conferences when I was in elementary school. Overall, I found this second visit to be more of a learning experience than the first visit.

FieldBlog 3- Shaker Heights High School

Going into Shaker Heights High School, I did not really know what to expect. I thought that it would be weird because I am only eighteen and a recent high school graduate, so really I am still the same age as those students. But honestly, the students did not even really care that I was there. Overall, I found the visit to be boring, but I was able to observe the way the classroom was structured and how well the teachers taught. While observing, the question that I thought of was: How does the teacher present his/her relationship with the students? Are they too friendly, friendly, mutual respect, no relationship, etc.? That morning, I went into two classrooms. One was AP Biology and the other was a German class. During my time in high school, I never took either of those classes, so I was intrigued to see what the students were learning, as I had nothing to compare it to from my high school experience. During AP Biology, the students were finishing and cleaning up their lab, and then they worked on completing their lab packet. So unfortunately, I did not really get to see the teacher teach. The AP Biology teacher was young, and he seemed to be fairly friendly with his students. I noticed that it seemed like he wanted to be well liked by his students. He controlled the classroom well, and when he was discussing cell respiration, which was what the students were learning about and working on a lab about, he seemed very knowledgeable and passionate about the topic. I also noticed that the students were comfortable asking the teacher questions. In the German classroom, I can  honestly say that I have no idea what the students were learning in German. I was disappointed that I did not get to stay very long in that classroom because I was very interested in watching the exchange between the teacher and her students. I found the German classroom to be more open and conversational than the AP Biology class. Before class even began, I noticed that the students seemed to like their teacher, and there was a good amount of friendship and respect between them. Before class began, when the students were strolling in, the teacher was talking to the students and having conversations with them about their siblings and sports. My first impression of the German teacher was that she was very friendly and enthusiastic. I also noticed how enthusiastic she was about teaching German! One of the most important things that I noticed was how engaged the students were in this class. They were all willingly participating, and it seemed as if the students were genuinely learning and enjoying their time in class.

Week 7

FALL BREAK!

FieldBlog 2- Bryden Elementary: Visit 1

Before my first visit to Bryden Elementary, I can honestly say that I was really nervous because I did not know what to expect and I was unsure of what I would be doing. I also have never heard of Bryden before and I was not sure what the school would be like. My first impression when I walked into Bryden was that it was definitely an elementary school. There are tiny little kids all over the place. Everything is small, and there is artwork and children's voices all over the place. Basically, it's adorable and I absolutely love it. The teacher that I get to observe is Ms. Ashley Mock. She is super sweet and she is a perfect elementary teacher. I really noticed how she knew so much about her students, and each of their needs. When I first arrived to her classroom, her students were in science class so she gave me a tour of the school and she told me about her students. First of all, her classroom is huge! And she only has seventeen students, and they are so full of energy and ready to learn. Anyways, one of her students is autistic so he has an aid in the classroom, but he was not there very much when I was. Ms. Mock also has a girl that is partially deaf and so there is a lady named Colleen that signs in the classroom. There are also two little boys that have ADHD or ADD. I noticed that Ms. Mock's students respect her very much, but they also respect the other adults in the room. One of the boys that has ADHD has a really hard time focusing on his work, and needs extra help to get it done. During Bison time, basically like study hall, but some students would go to the intervention specialist, Ms. Mock worked with the two ADHD boys so that they could complete their work, while making sure that the other students were either reading or doing some other work. Ms. Mock allowed me to help one of the little boys with his work, and he was so sweet. We finished one of his assignments, and he climbed into my lap and gave me a hug! Also, she allowed me to help two students with their reading! This really threw me back to when I was younger because I had to remember phonics and how to sound out words and things like that. Overall, I had a really great experience at Bryden and I can not wait to continue observing there!

Week 6: BlogPostIt

" But the humanist revolutionary educator cannot wait for this possibility to materialize. From the outset, her efforts must coincide with those of the students to engage in critical thinking and the quest for mutual humanization. His efforts must be imbued with a profound trust in people and their creative power. To achieve this, they must be partners of the students in their relations with them."

The part of this statement that I would like to focus on is the bolded line. When reading about the banking concept of education, this stood out to me particularly because of the word partners. I think that to achieve a mutual respect with students, you have to be willing to work with them in a variety of ways to meet their needs, and not only be their teacher, but their "partner". I think one of the most important aspects of being in a partnership with your students, is the respect that it allows. If you do not have the respect of your students, how do you expect them to be well behaved and engaged in your classroom? Not only is teaching them important, but teaching students how to respect others and behave is important, and if they can not accomplish that in your classroom, they will not be able to achieve that outside of the classroom. Being a students partner means that they respect you and treat you as their elder, not as another student or classmate. I think that it is also important to show students that you have noticed somewhere where they are struggling or succeeding. Showing them that you care that they might need extra help or that you care that they are doing so well can help gain that partnership and respect that should already be growing. As I was reading the reading, this made me think of my previous teachers and if I have felt that partnership with them. Honestly, not all of my teachers have achieved this, but the one's that have, well let's just say that I am blessed to have had them teach me.

Week 5- Rofes Reading

In the readings from Rofes, it is interesting to learn his point of view as a homosexual growing up. When I was reading this, I felt like I should understand what his childhood was like, but it only made me realize how much different my own childhood was. My childhood was filled with love, support, and happy memories. If only I could go back to that time! Rofes mentions how happiness and the ability to be oneself during these blossoming early years is a very important thing. I completely agree with this! As a child, no matter if one is homosexual or heterosexual, they should be able to play with whatever they want whether it be dolls or trucks and enjoy the time they have as a child. Also, it is important to be able to be yourself as a child because during that time, an identity is developing and that person should be able to be whomever they feel like being. As adults, we should encourage students to be whatever they feel is right for themselves, rather than telling them that they are wrong. Rofes also discusses how some people channel the negative energy that is placed on them, and that is through violence. Rofes mentions that he can understand where these feelings of violence in children and teens come from. I absolutely think that anything involving violence is wrong. Weapons, physical abuse, or bullying is no way to solve the feelings of people, or make them feel accepted. I think that in today's times, there are so many resources available to students where they have the ability to open up about their feelings in a way that is not harmful to others. In the next few years when I become a teacher, I would like to be a person that students can come speak to when they are feeling hurt, confused, or just in general need someone to talk to whether they are homosexual or heterosexual. I hope that in future years, students and even people outside of the classroom can be more accepting of people that they believe to be different than them. I also hope that no child has to have a sad or confusing childhood, those are some great years and they should be spent creating amazing and fun memories.

Field Blog 1- Mayfield Middle School

Going into Mayfield Middle School, I can honestly say that I was a little bit nervous, but super excited to have the opportunity to be there. By the end of the fieldtrip, my thoughts about teaching middle school have changed. I can now say that I would potentially be interested in teaching middle school. Mayfield Middle School definitely puts their students first, and that was easily visible within the few hours we were at the school. I also noticed that there was an awesome working dynamic among the teachers, principals, and other staff members that is obviously important in a schooling environment. During this fieldtrip, I went into two seventh grade classrooms, one science and one social studies. In the science classroom, the students were working on a lab. They were engaged with this activity and were working with one another to get the job done correctly. The teacher was also there to help them with their work, and he seemed very friendly and open. The other classroom I went into was social studies and it was a completely different environment. In the social studies room, they were reviewing for the test so the teacher created a jeopardy game for the students to remember the information that they had learned. It seemed that all of the students were participating and enjoying the game, all while reviewing. Also, if the students did not know or understand something, their teacher went back to the notes pages or the book and told them where they could find that information. In this classroom, it was easy to see the relationship that the students had with their teacher. He was joking around with them, but he also had the students respect and authority. It was really neat to see the things that we have been learning in class, in an actual visible classroom setting.

Week 4- Response to Lisa Delpit's Quote

[Teachers] should recognize that the linguistic form a student brings to school is intimately connected with loved one’s community, and personal identity. To suggest that this form is “wrong” or, even worse, ignorant, is to suggest that something is wrong with the student and his or her family. (p.33)


After doing the reading and discussing this quote in class, my mind was opened up to the differences of language in not only students, but people around the world. I think that Lisa is very right when she says that the linguistic form a student brings is connected with their community and personal identity. Just because someone speaks differently then you does not mean that they are any less intelligent than you. I also believe, that if someone speaks linguistically different, that that is a part of them. They grew up speaking in a certain way, therefore it is their identity and no one should try to change another person's identity. Lisa was also correct when saying that by telling a student that the way they speak is wrong is suggesting that there is something wrong with themselves, their family, their neighbors, friends, and etc. That can take away so much of who a student is by making them think that they are stupid and so are the people that are most important to them. I think that in a classroom, it is important to be knowledgeable about this issue. Knowing this, as a teacher, you can risk the respect that a student or even parent feels for you. If a student is speaking differently then other students, but is still learning and comprehending the material, is it really necessary to try and change the way that they speak?

Week 3: More Exploration of Mental Filters and Their Influences on Perception

For this assignment, I went to the cafeteria with Rachel and Natalie to make observations and interpretations. As we were discussing what we saw, we realized that we all noticed the same people around us and their physical appearances. But, when we talked about what we thought the people were like or what they were doing, some of our thoughts were different and others were similar. In the beginning of lunch there were a lot of people in the cafeteria. The first thought that came to mind when I saw all of those people was that it was lunch time and everyone was hungry. On the other hand, my group member thought that people were in there because they were on a break from class. I think that I thought this because every time I go to eat, I am hungry. We also noticed a girl that was on crutches. But this time we all had the same interpretation that her foot or ankle was hurt in some way. During this exercise, I learned that I do not always understand other peoples perceptions of things. It is different from what I think so I do not always like the other persons way of thinking. I think that this exercise has taught me that I need to be more open to other peoples thoughts, and to accept them easier. I think that I have learned that my perceptions are not wrong, but that I need to understand others to fully perceive the surroundings. I actually enjoyed this assignment and I think that it makes me more aware of what other people are doing.

Blog Post 2- Significance of Quote

Week Two of class and there is a lot of information from the variety of readings to think about. Especially this quote, "“We do not really see with our eyes or hear through our ears, but through our beliefs.” Lisa Delpit said this quote, but what is its significance? When I first read this quote, it reminded me to stay true to what you believe. No matter what you are seeing or hearing, your beliefs are all that matter. But, the more I thought about the quote, I feel that it means that we perceive, or see or hear things through our beliefs rather than what we are seeing or hearing. So basically, everything we are seeing is seen in a way that relates to our beliefs. But, this quote goes deeper than this. It means that when we see or hear things, we have to put ourselves in the place of others, and not let our beliefs get in the way of the situation. I still think that it means that we must stay true to ourselves, but to also have the ability to open our eyes to other viewpoints.

Education 100- Week 1 Class Survey

1. Erin

2. I am from North Olmsted, Ohio.

3. I would like to teach Early Childhood Education, preferably third graders. I enjoy a variety of subjects but, if I had to choose, I would enjoy teaching English or History.

4. I enjoy meeting new people and hanging out with friends. I like to run.This semester, I am hoping to become involved with a sorority. I also hope to get involved in Campus Ministry.

5. To me, family matters most. The following article discusses the importance of family, http://www.publishyourarticles.net/knowledge-hub/essay/essay-on-the-importance-of-family/5831/. This article related to my thoughts on family. It expressed how your family builds the person that you become. It also discusses the support system of a family. It put my feelings of family into words.

6. To take intellectual and creative risks in a college class, I feel that I need to be comfortable with my professor and the environment. But, I think that even if I am uncomfortable I can break through that and attempt to take risks.

7. A formative memory in my academic career would be my Genesis Project. At the end of senior year, I had to complete this project. For my project, I shadowed a sixth grade teacher. It was such a fun and learning experience. It took me back to sixth grade where I was able to remember why I enjoyed school. I only wish I could have had this experience earlier on.

8. One concern of mine in the field of education is that there are teachers that are not truly passionate about educating children and bettering their futures. I also think that all of the mandatory tests that students have to complete are not helping them learn.

9. Why did you decide to become an educator? What are your hopes on the future of education?